Night Watch
by Sanneke
Summary: Canonverse. Levi tries to keep Mikasa from falling asleep during her assigned watch. (Prompt from Tumblr.) COMPLETE


At the sound of a branch popping in the campfire, Mikasa yelps, "I'm awake!"

"_Now_ you are," a sardonic voice says from across the fire. "You were fast asleep a minute ago." That voice, that monotone that irks her so much, so emotionless and yet somehow saturated with scorn and disdain.

"My apologies, Captain," she replies through nearly-clenched teeth. Her anger subsides for a moment as a yawn fills her chest and she is powerless to stifle it. She is too tired even to maintain her antagonism toward Levi. It has been a long day of riding, then strategizing for the attack ahead. Her bones feel as though they have been rattled from her sockets. As she looks at the faces of her fellow soldiers, softened in sleep, she can only think of what it would be like to collapse into a huge bed, the feeling of her limbs being cradled by a goose down mattress. She remembers the thick wool blanket she had when she lived with the Yeagers, misses the way she could wrap it around herself and hide within it, cocooned away from the world.

_Like a body-sized scarf__,_ she thinks. _That would be perfect right now. _Her head dips down against her chest, her eyelids growing heavy.

"Mikasa!" Levi snaps, and her head jerks back up. "There's no sleeping on watch. Start running laps." He hears her groan as she stands and starts jogging in wide, lazy circles around her sleeping comrades. "I said _running_," he reminds her. She scowls and increases her speed.

When Mikasa passes by him on her next loop around the slumbering squad, Levi can hear her muttering curses under her breath. He smiles to himself, then wraps his cape more tightly around him. The night is unseasonably cold, and Mikasa is moving so quickly a rush of frigid air hits him each time she runs by.

Twenty-seven laps later, just long enough to let her know that he will make her run all night if he feels like it, Levi is tired of being buffeted with her wind, so he instructs her to stop. Mikasa nods her thanks, then walks back to the fire. She sits down roughly on the ground, her breath coming out in small puffs of vapor, and clutches her cape with shaking hands. Although she considers herself to be in remarkably good shape, running for that long would make anyone sweat, even Levi. The scarf that is constantly wound around her throat is no help, making her skin feel hot and itchy even as cold sweat pours down her neck and chest.

It is a strange sensation, she thinks, shivering before the crackling campfire. She wraps her arms around herself, trying to stop her body from quaking. The heat of the fire only makes her sweat more, which makes her colder, which makes her lean closer, which makes her sweat more…

She knows Levi was right to make her run ‒ after all, no soldier is allowed to sleep through their watch ‒ but the part of her that always wants to defy Levi, the part of her that can never forget the sight of his boot smashing against Eren's jaw, wants to tell him to stay up and do the night watch himself if he's awake enough to punish her. Her hatred of him is slowly transforming into a begrudging respect, but disliking him is almost comforting, something to keep her alive even in Eren's absence.

If she dies she will prove every negative thing Levi has ever said about her, and the last thing she wants to do is concede to him any more than she has to. So she keeps going.

Meditating on how much he annoys her is almost hypnotic and she finds herself drifting off, even with the paradoxical heat-cold overtaking her body.

"Shit," she whispers to herself, hoping that Levi cannot see her eyelids slipping shut once more. Mikasa slaps herself lightly on the cheek, but it barely rouses her. She figures a resounding slap against her own face would alert him as to her drowsy state and decides against it. The last thing she wants is for Levi to make her run for hours for falling asleep on watch. Without thinking, she sticks her fingertips in her mouth and bites down hard, digging her teeth into her knuckles and the pads of her fingers.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Levi exclaims, leaping to his feet, his hand resting on the handle of sword, ready to draw. Nearby, Connie whimpers in his sleep at the sudden noise.

Mikasa yawns, figuring there is no use in trying to pretend any longer. "Trying to stay awake."

"By biting your hand?" He glares down at her, the fire lighting his face with an eerie orange glow, highlighting his hooded eyes and his sharp cheekbones.

"Eren doesn't bite his fingers," Mikasa points out. She looks up at him and bites herself once more. The pain awakens her a little, makes her eyes widen and the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. She removes her hand from her mouth and holds it in the air, saliva glinting off her fingers in the flickering firelight. "See? Human."

Levi scoffs at her. "Come here." She stands, wrapping her cape around her, then trudges around the fire to where Levi is standing. "Sit." She wants to snap at him, tell him she's not a dog for him to command, but she's so tired she merely does what he says.

"I'm sorry I can't stay awake," she murmurs sleepily, her tongue thick in her mouth.

"I have a cure for that." He sits down next to her, then rummages around in his pack until he finds what he is looking for.

"What's that?" she asks. The moment she gets out her last word she feels a spray of cold water hitting her face. She recoils, shielding herself with one arm, until Levi stops shaking his canteen at her. "What the _fuck_, Levi?!" she cries, wiping at her face with the sleeve of her jacket.

"Water in the face. Works every time." He smirks at her, takes a swig from the canteen, screws the top back on, and puts it away.

"I feel like I should go to sleep just to spite you," she yawns, arching her back out.

"You're still tired? Even after that?" Levi actually sounds somewhat impressed.

"Right now I could probably sleep through a Titan attack. I'm so tired." She leans forward, resting her elbows on her thighs, and puts her head in her hands.

"It's useless to stop you, isn't it?" Levi says softly, his lips curving up slightly. She is learning, but that headstrong streak of hers will take months to mold into something stronger. Or years, he thinks, remembering how long it took him to finally stop fighting Erwin.

"I'm trying," she sighs, sitting up straight again and pinching her cheek roughly. "I really am. I promise."

"Go to sleep," he grunts. "I'll take the rest of the watch."

"Thank you, Captain." Mikasa lays down on the ground, bringing her knees to her chest and tucking her cape around herself. She starts to drift off, even as she starts to tremble.

"You cold?" Levi asks, looking down at her.

"Might have something to do with the cold water that _someone_ threw in my face," she replies through shaky breaths.

"Sit up."

"I was just about to fall asleep," she complains.

"You're shivering, Mikasa. Sit up. That's an order." She obeys, a sleepy frown on her face. "Give me your cape."

"But I'm cold."

"Do I have to explain every single thing I do or will you just fucking trust me for five minutes and give me your damn cape?"

Her eyes are downcast as she undoes the fastener on her cape and hands it to Levi. He pulls off his own as well, then motions for her to move closer to him. Mikasa looks at him, brow furrowed, a question about to form on her lips, but Levi somehow narrows his eyes even further than usual and she decides to stay quiet. He stretches out one arm and waves her over with his hand. Mikasa hesitates, then slides next to him.

"You're really cold," he murmurs as she curls up against him. She nods and he thinks he can hear her say, "No shit" under her breath but he decides to cut her some slack this time and blame the sound on the icy wind blowing through the trees. He fastens their capes together and arranges them over their huddled bodies, forming a makeshift blanket, then puts his arm around her, rubbing her arm through her jacket. "Better?"

"A bit," she says, laying her head on his shoulder. Her tension and anger melt away as she nestles against him, slowly growing warmer as they lean on each other.

Still, something seems off to Levi. He sniffs the air. "What's that smell?" he asks.

Mikasa makes a noise that sounds like, "I don't know."

He breathes in deeply through his nose, detecting something sour, something alive even in the frozen air. It is not the rotten meat and hot steam smell of Titans, but the foul tang of sweat, of living bodies. He inclines his head toward her, close enough to kiss her, and sniffs again. "Your scarf stinks, Mikasa," Levi mutters.

"Then breathe through your mouth, Captain," she sighs, her eyes fluttering closed. "I'm not taking it off."

Levi lets out a low bark of a laugh. "When is the last time you washed that thing?" Mikasa does not respond. "Are you still awake?" he whispers.

"Yeah," she mumbles.

"When's the last time you washed that thing?" Still no response. "Answer me."

"I'm not saying anything because I don't remember."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah."

"Gross," he says, curling his lip. Mikasa lets out a breathy laugh, her exhalations warming his skin.

Levi watches the fire burn, listening to its pop and crackle. Mikasa's breathing slows and gradually evens out. He sits there with her, savoring her warmth. She looks rather pretty now that the hard line of her mouth has softened, now that her cold dark eyes are hidden from view. His mind wanders until he finds himself wondering what she was like before the war, back when she was just a girl. _Probably a know-it-all,_ he thinks, his mouth twisting into a wry grin. He can imagine her spouting endless monologues, annoying her parents with facts about spiders or rocks or some other juvenile preoccupation.

Mikasa yawns, startling him, then rearranges herself such that she is embracing him around his waist, holding him in her arms. Levi is not surprised to find that she clings so tightly in her sleep. He realizes why Eren keeps her around, infuriating as she can be: there is a comfort in this unspoken bond, the simple connection of their bodies.

It has been a long time since someone touched him without purpose, without expecting anything in return. He's not sparring or rescuing someone or quickly fumbling in the barracks after lights out. It has been a longer time still since anyone has simply hugged Levi. The realization almost makes him gasp; instead he steels himself and pulls Mikasa closer. She lets out a soft, breathy sigh.

He starts rubbing Mikasa's arm again, gently, slowly. His hand makes its way up her shoulder, toward the nape of her neck. Her hair tickles his skin and he starts winding his fingers through the black stands, letting them fall away as his fingertips start to rub against her scalp.

"'M awake," she murmurs, though the heaviness of her voice tells him that this will not be true for much longer. Levi blushes so hard he's convinced she can hear it.

"I'm sorry," he blurts.

"Don't stop. Feels good." She adjusts her head on his shoulder, giving him better access to the fringe of hair that falls over the side of her face. He scans the camp to see if anyone is awake, pausing briefly as he sees Jean turn in his sleep. A loud snore from the young man a few seconds later dispels Levi's misgivings. Sighing deeply, Levi leans his head against Mikasa's and runs his fingers through her hair, thankful that apparently there is still room for tenderness in his heart.


End file.
